Mayor of London Boris Johnson is calling for cyclists to be permitted to jump red at some of the capital's traffic lights

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BORIS Johnson has called for cyclists to be allowed to ride through some red traffic lights in a bid to cut the number killed on the roads.

The Mayor claimed letting bikes pull away before traffic into a left turn would be safer because they would not be in drivers’ blind spots.

He said women were particularly vulnerable because they waited at junctions longer and were in more danger of a collision.

His comments came after despite a crackdown in the City over the last three months to stop riders flouting the law.

Johnson, himself a keen cyclist, said: “If it’s (allowing cyclists to turn left on red) going to save lives, it’s a good idea. Women are especially vulnerable because they tend not pull to the front of the traffic at lights which can be more dangerous.”

Research from Transport for London last year suggested that women cyclists are far more likely to be killed by a lorry because, unlike men, they tend to obey red lights and wait at junctions in the driver’s blind spot.

Last month Wan-Chen McGuinness, a 39 year-old from Hackney, east London, died when she was hit at a junction in Holborn.

Nearly 400 cyclists have been given on-the-spot fines for breaking the law in the last three months as part of a police crackdown on traffic offences in the City.

Most of the £30 fines were handed to cyclists going through red lights, with 296 handed out for this offence since the start of Operation Typhoon in July.

Tory leader David Cameron was snapped running a red light while on his way to work in March - forcing him into a public apology.

Cycling on London's major roads has increased by 91 per cent over the past eight years.

More than 500,000 cycle journeys now take place each day in the capital.

The boom is likely to continue as people try to save money by turning to two wheels.

The number of fatalities has been falling but even so, last year 14 people died and 253 were injured.

More than half of those killed on London’s roads are involved in accidents with lorries.

Experts fear the death toll could rise as construction lorries pack the capital’s roads in the build-up to the 2012 Olympics.

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